Two Weeks to My Climb

Last year at this time I sat waiting in an overstuffed chair for a surgical miracle. During those last few days in May 2009 I wrote these words on my blog:

“It's been a tough week. My body is tired. And I'll admit that I've been depressed at times and full of anxiety. Why do I feel so empty? I have every reason to live and love.”

Photo by Jeffery Allred | Deseret News (2009)

Much has transpired since last year and now I am only two weeks away from making an historic climb up Mount Olympus (Utah) in honor of my deceased brother.

I believe I will be the oldest survivor of the Fontan heart surgery from Utah to make this difficult hike post transplant.

Photo: Mount Olympus, Utah

I was so close to death and have known too many who have died.

Because of this, I find myself spending a lot of time doing things associated with the beauty of this world while I am still in this physical body.

Whether it is fishing, hiking, camping, or riding a bike long distances, I can’t stop enjoying the outdoors. I feel close to my brother. Above all, I feel close to God.

I am grateful for the creator of our world and all of the beauty that surrounds me.

Our Father in Heaven has orchestrated a beautiful plan that transcends this world for each us. We can trust God and know this life-time is but a small moment in an eternal view only He understands.

What we do now, matters.

Photo: Fishing the Provo River, Utah

“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful.

Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path.

You know you will never get to the end of the journey.

But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.”

-Winston Churchill

Gracie's Theme from the Celebrate Life Concert

The full DVD and CD of my first public performance since my heart transplant is being put together and will be available soon.

All of the proceeds from the Celebrate Life Concert gift set will help our family foundation dedicated to aiding those affected by Congenital disorders like Congenital Heart Disease

To Learn More Visit:
http://www.paulcardall.com

Toddler faces rare intestinal transplant

May 14th, 2010 @ 6:27pm

By Carole Mikita (KSLTV)

TAYLORSVILLE -- He is so lively and adorable; unless you see the feeding tubes, you would never know 18-month-old Patrick has a life-threatening condition.

Brian and Emily Hoopes adopted Patrick when he was just a week old. They remember the phone call.

"I was at home one afternoon and got a phone call telling me that there was a little boy who had been born on Halloween. We were kind of surprised because we were not approved to adopt for very long. My case worker went on to explain that his life expectancy was only one or two years," Emily explained.

Patrick was born with short-gut syndrome. Missing more than 95 percent of his intestines, doctors say he will not survive much longer without a rare intestinal transplant.

Continue reading or watch the new story video

What Faith Can Do

As contemplate each day the events that led to my recovery I am grateful for the power of faith people have to access the power of God and keep me around a little longer. Below are the lyrics from a Kutless tune shared with me by my one of my cardiologists.

What Faith Can Do From the album It Is Well

Photo: Getting Labs every week while waiting for my heart transplant

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it's more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don't you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do

Photo: Recovering from one of the many heart caths while waiting for my heart transplant

It doesn't matter what you've heard
Impossible is not a word
It's just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody's scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It'll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

Photo: Making faces days after my successful heart transplant

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do

Overcome the odds
You do have a chance
(That's what faith can do)
When the world says you can't
It'll tell you that you can!

Photo: Building a snowman with my daughter with a normal healthy heart beating in my chest

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do
That's what faith can do!
Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise

Thanking God

This evening I am thanking our loving God for blessing surgeons and other related medical personnel with the talents, knowledge, passion and wisdom required to sustain the life of a young man who endured a long day of reconstructive heart surgery beginning this morning.

Lawrence E. Corbridge said, "Life is hard, but life is simple. Get on the path and never, ever give up. You never give up. You just keep on going. You don’t quit, and you will make it."

Chief of the Medical Staff by Nathan Greene
http://www.nathangreene.com/product/45/32

Climbing Mountains

I'm having so much fun doing outdoor activities I've never been capable of that I'm excited about one of my next goals, climbing a very special mountain.

As I recovered from my heart transplant attached to oxygen, IVs and several chest tubes draining fluid, I was encouraged by my medical team to get up out of my hospital bed and walk a short distance.

Photo: Standing up the first time after my heart transplant

I was in so much pain and discomfort it would have been easier for me to stay in my hospital bed but my mind and spirit were strong, alive, and anxious to take on another challenge.

Together with my wife Lynnette, father Duane, sister n’ law Anna, and a wonderful nurse, they helped me rise up out of my comfort zone and take the first couple of steps slowly out of my room.

Feeling alive we walked down a hallway followed by another hallway that led to a window overlooking the south end of the Salt Lake Valley.

In the distance, to my left, was Mount Olympus, one of the highest peaks along the Wasatch. This is a nostalgic mountain for me because it overshadowed my childhood home in the early morning hours as the sun rose from the east. The pioneers who settled Utah named the mountain after the highest peak in Greece.

My entire life I wanted to hike this beast of a hill but I didn’t have the heart do it (no pun intended). My younger brother Brian climbed it with ease. As adults he took our youngest sibling Craig up the north face using ropes and the usual climbing gear.

Photo: Looking at Mount Olympus from Primary Children's Medical Center several days after my heart transplant.

As I stood from a hospital gazing out the window at Mount Olympus I had flashbacks of all that had transpired the past year leading up to my miraculous surgery with Brian’s untimely death looming over me. I made a commitment there and then that once recovered I would prepare myself to climb Mount Olympus in honor of my brother.

This is no easy task for a heart transplant recipient or anyone who is not in shape to hike long distances. Most climbers reach the summit following a steep trail that stretches approximately 3.1 miles. It’s like walking upstairs for several miles from approximately 5000 ft in elevation to the thin air of 9000 ft.

When I’ve asked people about the hike some have said, “Oh, it’s easy. Me and my college buddies where up to the top and back down in less than 3 hours” While others comment, “It’s tough, rough, and miserable. I remember it being a 9 hour hike up and down.” There certainly are a lot of ways to look at life.

Photo: Mount Olympus, Wasatch Mountains, Utah

I’ve been preparing by climbing other canyons and staying active playing basketball, walking, and fly-fishing.

On June 9, 2010 I will climb Mount Olympus on the 1 year anniversary of my brother's untimely death. Brian left a wonderful legacy not only in the scientific community with his various publications, but he left behind two beautiful children and a kind wife who is strong through adversity. I want to honor his life and love for God’s creations. He would have done the same for me.

I may not reach the peak, but in my efforts I’ll know in my heart and mind that I’m doing something I have never done before and I’ll know my brother will be smiling from the other side saying, “Well done.”